Research: Ukrainians buy new smartphone every 4-5 years

Most Ukrainians do not update their smartphones often. According to a new Viber survey conducted among about 40 thousand people, 55% of participants buy new devices once every four to five years. Another 27% do not buy phones at all on their own, but more often receive them as a gift. Only 17% of respondents change their smartphone every two to four years, and only 1% update it almost every year – with the release of new models.

The study also found out which gadgets, in addition to the phone, are the most popular. A third of respondents (33%) most often use a laptop, another 15% – a desktop computer. At the same time, almost a third (29%) have only a smartphone, without having other devices. 14% use tablets, 5% – a smartwatch, and 3% named other options.

Previously, Viber published the results of similar surveys. In particular, almost 40% of Ukrainians admitted that they spend four to six hours a day with their smartphone. In addition, last year’s Rakuten study showed that Samsung remains the most popular phone brand in Ukraine.

Another study by Viber showed that the problem of sleep quality goes beyond just gadget usage habits. More than a third of Ukrainians sleep less than six hours a day: 36% reported that they sleep 4–6 hours, and 4% less than four. The majority (43%) still get 7–8 hours of sleep, and another 14% more than eight hours. About 3% admitted that they do not get enough sleep on weekdays, but try to compensate for this by resting on weekends.

Overall, the data shows that a significant part of Ukrainians do not get enough sleep, and smartphones have an indirect effect on sleep quality rather than being the main cause of fatigue. The survey methodology involved an anonymous online survey, the key age group was 34-45 years old, with more than half of the participants being younger than 45 years old.